~ Acquired Brain Injury (ABI): from the acute hospital to early rehabilitation – more on: www.CaringforPadraig.org and www.ansaol.ie

Feet

We’re hanging in there, but at least I am beginning to get the hospital syndrome. You notice it when you are going out for a few minutes to a shop and the only thing you want to do is get back into the room. There is also a constant tiredness, paired with a lack of self-determination – which does not have any resemblance with life outside.

Since we have lowered the anti-seizure medication to be stopped in another couple of days, and with some time having passed since the operation, Pádraig is getting more alert again. He started to eat again and to move, at least a little bit. It really beats back home the message that we will have to try very hard to get him back into every-day “training” as soon as possible.

His scars have been healing very well and any bruising that was there is disappearing. Every operation is scary but this one, and I almost forgot this, this one was an operation we decided to go for to allow him to get rid of tube number 2. Tube number 3 will be the PEG, and if he gets back to the level of eating and drinking that he was at before the operation, that won’t take too long.

There’ll be loads of stuff happening this week and with every day that passes, it becomes more likely that the insurance company of the driver who hit Pádraig will insist that the case goes to trial, meaning that Pat and I will get off to Boston once again.

Today, a really brave nurse helped Pat and myself to first sit Pádraig up on the side of the bed, and then stand him up. At the end, it wasn’t clear who was more exhausted, Pádraig or us. But – isn’t it great that we can start doing this with him? Yes, it is “spannend”, but it must also be terribly exciting for Pádraig to be able to “stand” on his own feet again – all be it with three people helping him up!